Flexible abrasive wheel



Sept. 15, 1953 (5. LEGGETT 2,651,894

- FLEXIBLE ABRASIVE WHEEL Filed March 13, 1952 6251 0. LEGGETY;

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrlcs FLEXIBLE ABRASIVE WHEEL Guy 0. Leggett, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Merit Products, line, Culver City, Calif.

Application March 13, 1952, Serial No. 276,316

2 Claims.

My invention relates to flexible abrasive wheels and particularly to new and useful improvements in the abrasive replacement element of the Wheel separately considered as a new article of anu facture.

The main object of the invention is to p ov upon the combination whereby the parts can be more easily assembled and wherein one of t parts when the device is disassembled p ovides a replacement per se of the abrasive unit which may be sold separately in the trade.

Another object of the invention is to provide as an amplification of the main object and a modified new article of manufacture, a pack of superimposed abrasive flaps which are bound together along their mounted ends by a flexible fabric strip so that when the free ends of the flaps are spread apart sufficiently to bring the outer faces of the end flaps of the pack together to form the flap wheel, the binding rings to hold them in this spread apart condition may be applied on the job and the replacement made ready for use without the added expense of the binding rings.

A further object resides in the particular construction and improved arrangement of the abrasive flaps and in the manner in which they are held as a unit on the rotatable arbor.

An important feature of the invention resides in its refined simplicity and resultant reduction in cost.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrative of its application and use,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved fl ible abrasive wheel. A portion of the abrasive flaps in this view are collapsed to illustrate how and to what extent their abrasive ends overlap and become eliective for use. Other flaps are shown in their normal position in full lines While the remainder of the unit is shown in phantom lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical midsection with the mounting means in elevation and the attaching means in phantom.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the parts ploded, the replacement element per so being indicated both by full and phantom lines.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the abrasive flaps in pack formation, the topmost flaps together with their fabric binder being broken away to contract the view.

Referring in detail to the drawing and in particular to Fig. 3 wherein the parts are shown in an extended relation, numerals 5 indicates the arbor, ii and l the side plates, 8 the abrasive unit per se and ii the securing nut screwable onto said arbor to complete a hub structure for holding the parts in their assembled relation. The numeral it indicates the binding rings for maintaining the abrasive flaps ii in their circularly formed position incident to the application of the side plates. It is to be understood that said flaps I I are to be out from standard, abrasively coated sheet material.

In Fig. 4 the abrasive flaps ll of Fig. 3 are shown in their superposed relation. There is cut into each side edge of each flap adjacent its mounted end a rectangularly shaped recess I2. A fabric strip of flexible sheet material It binds the inner edges of the flaps together in pack formation. When the rectangularly shaped superposed fiaps are circumferentially spread apart in a circular wheel forming relation as shown in Fig. 3 and the outer faces of the top and bottom flaps are brought into contiguity, the binding rings I!) are then applied in the circular groove formed by the spread apart relation of the recesses l2 and the abrasive unit is ready for assembly between the side plates e and l or for sale as replacement use as desired. Owing to said binding rings l9 being fitted in the bottom portions of the recesses or grooves 822, inwardly spaced from the grooves mouths, said rings remain in place while the pack is being handled.

Each of said side plates is provided with a rightangularly directed peripheral keeper projection shown as an annular flange It adapted to occupy the space in said slots unoccupied by said rings and the inner edges of said keeper flanges in the operative position of the parts as shown in Fig. 2 abut said binding rings. Said side p at have their central areas spaciously offset in a direction in which said keeper flanges extend to provide an annular recess I5 between the rim of the offset portion and keeper flanges. Said rim provides a peripheral shoulder it around the termination of the oirset. The inner adhered 00rners of the flaps ll occupy said recess and abut against said rim shoulder.

The arbor 5 is provided for maintaining the aforementioned parts in their assembled relation. Said arbor has a spindle 58 at one end connectable with a means it for rotating it. The 0D- posite end of the arbor is threaded as indicated by the numeral 2&3 to have screwed thereonto the nut d after the threaded end of the arbor has been extended through the axially alined bores 21 in each side plate.

A shoulder 22 extends around the arbor intermediate its spindle and threaded end and abuts the outer face of one side plate while the securing nut abuts the outer face of the other side plate.

In assembling the device, a pack of sheets having a groove in each side edge adjacent one end is provided as shown in Fig. 4. These may be sold separately to the buyer as replacement units or rings 10 may be added to each replacement unit to comprise the abrasive wheel assembly 8 shown in Fig. 3.

When the pack shown in Fig. 4 is circumferentially extended and the rings 10 applied in the grooves provided by the recesses 12, the side plates and 7 are put in place with the keeper flanges occupying the unoccupied spaces of the binding rings I9 as shown in Fig. 2. The arbor is then extended through the bores 2| of the side plates and screwing down the nut 9 against one side plate with the shoulder 22 bearing against the other side plate places the device in readiness to have the spindle l8 inserted into the means If whereby the same may be rotated.

When an object is to be polished or treated by the abrasive flaps upon application thereto of the object the flaps assume a collapsed condition as shown in Fig. 1 exposing in sequence abrasive end portions which do the polishing. The edges wear down until a replacement is necessary. This invention provides for supplying such replacement part.

I claim.

1. A flexible abrasive wheel comprising an annular pack of superimposed flaps having face pOrtions coated with abrasive material, a strip of sheet material adhered to and binding said fl p together at their ends where said flaps border the space at the center of the annular pack, there be: ing two oppositely disposed grooves in the side edges of said flaps circumjacent to said bind ng strip, a ring occupying the bottom portion of each of said grooves and inwardly spaced from the mouth of the groove, a hub structure comprising two concentric circular side plates, each of said .4 side plates having a laterally directed peripheral flange, said flanges occupying the mouth portions of said grooves and abutting said rings, said side plates also each having circumjacent to its D riphery an annular shoulder which internally abuts the adjacent side edge portion of the aforesaid binding strip, and clamping means extending through said hub structure to draw said plates toward each other thus firmly maintaining said flanges in abutting relations to said rings.

2. As an article of manufacture, a pack of superimposed, rectangularly shaped flaps having face portions coated with abrasive material and having in each of their long edges adjacent one end oppositely disposed recesses which aline and form a groove from end to end of the pack across opposite faces thereof, a fabric strip of flexible material binding said flaps together at that end of them which is adjacent said grooves to form a flexible abrasive wheel when said flaps are circumferentially extended to bring the outer face of one end flap into a flatwise abutting relation with the outer face of the other end flap, when said end flaps are thus abutted in the wheel forming position of the flaps said grooves being positioned to receive binding rings to maintain said flaps in their circumferentially extended relation.

GUY O. LEGGETT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 372,041 Pfleghar Oct. 25, 1887 410,749 Colburn Sept. 10, 1889 455,277 Cummins June 30, 1891 596,014 Condon et a1 Dec. 21, 1897 603,761 Graham May 10, 1898 648,890 Williams Ma 1, 1900 1,011,323 Courtney Dec. 12, 1911 1,023,807 Brinkman Apr. 23, 1912 2,018,611 Feuerstein Oct. 22, 1935 2,164,800 Davis July 4, 1939 2,506,288 Bahr May 2, 1950 

